Every Time We Lie Awake
by Shinigami Akumu
Summary: Homunculi have no soul-that's what they say. Envy and Lust are out to force Edward to make the Philosopher's Stone, no matter the obstacles. Blinded by hate and the absolute need for revenge, will Envy discover what being human is really all about? ExE
1. Chapter 1

Hey all! Some of you may know me from my previous FMA stories(An Incurable Pain, What's a Few Years?, Lose It All)...but to those of you who don't, you can call me Aku-chan, m'kay? This is a little different from my other stuff...mostly because it's not a RoyxEd, but an EnvyxEd! GASP. RoyxEd will always be my fav but I'm a very open person and I enjoy trying new things. Envy is also very smexy. XD There is a little RoyxEd in here(can't help myself) but it all makes sense, trust me. Give it a read and review to tell me what you guys think, okay? (Yes, I know other FMA stories are waiting. Don't remind me. XD)

Dedicated to and inspired(as well as pre-screened) by my sis on here: EndLyssly

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Every Time We Lie Awake

_Chapter One_

There were few things that could truly get a murderous reaction out of Envy…

"'That person' requests that we stay put and keep an eye out for now, making no moves against Edward Elric."

And this was one of them.

He twitched at the name of his worst enemy. The boy wasn't a threat, no, not at all, but merely a nuisance-a little buzzing fly that he was not _allowed_ to squash. "_Again_? Aren't you tired of sitting around, Lust?"

She crossed her arms and stared down at the East City military courtyard from their place on the roof, in the shadows. "We cannot go against 'that person'."

Envy narrowed his eyes. "Oh yeah? 'That person', 'that person'-let's just _kill_ 'that person'! Then we won't have to sit around this dump!"

She gave a bored look in his direction as if to say 'go ahead and try'.

Gluttony drooled as soldiers began leaving for the day. "Hungry, hungry…"

"All I want to do is rip that Full Metal Shrimp apart, so what's the hold up?!"

"Shut up. Someone will hear you."

"So? What're they gonna do about it? Shoot me?"

"Envy…" She warned.

He snickered. "Bite me. I'm out of here." He turned back and jumped to an opposite roof, and he was going along quite nicely, until his sensitive ears caught a familiar voice.

"How long does that stupid Colonel think he can keep us here?!"

"Nii-san…"

"I mean it, Al! I understand that we need to be cautious because Scar is back in this area and I _know_ we have to avoid another conflict with him if possible-I think I got that the _last _time he broke us into a million pieces! But we're on a mission."

Al would have frowned if he could. "Nii-san…the Colonel's just looking out for us…"

The blonde sighed. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Don't remind me. I'm tired of hanging around this place." He paused before smirking mischievously. "I give it one more week before we make our escape."

"Esca-Nii-san!"

"Nope! Too bad, Al! I've made up my mind!" He started running away, closely followed by his younger brother, who really didn't want them to get into anymore trouble.

Envy frowned and mimicked Ed's voice perfectly. "'I'm tired of hanging around this place', huh?" Instantly back to himself without any effort, his scowl deepened. "How nice for you that you can leave whenever you want! I'm going to _kill_ you one day, so enjoy it while it _lasts_." Suddenly, something came over him and he smirked, which gave way to malicious laughter. "You're bored, aren't you, Chibi-san? …_Cause so am I_."

Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes casually walked back into East Headquarters. The young man at the front counter saluted. "Sir! Did you forget something? Would you like me to have it brought here for you?"

Hughes briefly wondered how well this boy knew him. "Mm…nope! I'll take care of it myself." He smacked the soldier's shoulder good-naturedly. "Doing things yourself is the key to success! Remember that." And with those simple words, he continued on his way. Yes, certainly, the only way to get the _important_ things done was to do them yourself, and he was sure he knew it better than anybody. After walking around aimlessly for a good while, he heard exactly the sound he was looking for: clanking metal.

Alphonse and Edward were taking their time getting to the building which housed the dorms that they were forced to stay in, even though most people, or at least those permanently posted there, had their own homes. They stopped as soon as they saw him and Al waved. "Lieutenant Colonel Hughes! Why are you still here?"

Ed blinked. "Yeah, I thought everyone went home for the day."

Hughes put on a pouty face. "I got called right back!" Envy _hated_ being so cheerful. It just proved that the human he was at the moment was a happier person than he was…and he detested _everyone_ who had something he didn't have. He was envious, after all. But he hated none so much as Edward Elric, who was practically his step brother in a twisted sense, and had _everything_. All the things that Envy could just barely recall ever wanting, back when he-rather, the person he was supposed to be-was human. How he hated dwelling on the past. Lust would get that far away look that made it obvious that she, too, could recall better days, even if they weren't really hers. He _hated_ being able to remember. It made him just that much more resentful of those around him-every human he saw had something he didn't have: something as simple as _being_ _human_, which they all easily took for granted. And it drove him _crazy_. Despite the Elric brother's problems, they had a lot going for them: they were free and they were _alive_. Envy had decided after first meeting them that being a suit of armor might even be better than being a monster. But that was his little secret.

The blond stared up at him. "Why, did something happen?"

"You could say that…" He had seen the detective leave for the day, thereby deciding that it would be safe to become him with little or no chance of blowing his cover and ruining his fun. If he ran into Roy Mustang, the man who knew Maes Hughes better than anyone, it might be a different story. But he was an expert, and he'd cross that bridge when he came to it-_if_ he came to it. He briefly realized that he was rather carefree for someone who was being held down by so much, and figured it was better that way. He leaned close suddenly to whisper, bringing his hand up to his mouth as if someone would hear them. "Edward…there's a rumor floating around that you plan to run away."

"W-What?!" _How could that have gotten around so quickly? Who heard us?!_

"Now Mustang has all kinds of men watching you…including me! But don't let any of them know that I told you! Say, if you need help passing the time, I have plenty of pictures of Elysia-chan to keep you company!"

The boy sweat dropped, to Envy's amusement. "Uh…no thanks."

"Your loss!" He turned away and grinned menacingly before walking off, waving carelessly to them. _Now you'll think twice about trying to get away, pipsqueak!_ After all, everybody knew that a slow revenge was the sweetest.

The brothers waved until the man had turned the corner out of sight. That's when Ed jumped all over the giant suit of armor. "You hear that?! We're being watched now! So, tell me Alphonse, how did _that_ happen?"

The helmet blinked innocently. "Nii-san, are you trying to accuse me?!"

"That's _exactly_ what I'm-"

"But I was with you the whole time!" He pointed out.

"…" Ed coughed slightly and leaned his back against the nearest wall. "I guess somebody must have heard…leave it to that rotten Colonel to send people after us! Shouldn't they be busy kissing his feet or something? I'm gonna go tell him exactly where he can stick his loyal followers!"

"Wait!" No sooner had the blond had started to move that he found he couldn't go anywhere.

"Let me go! I'm warning you, Al!" He swung his arms around wildly, trying to get a hold of the metal vice clamped onto his jacket.

"Lieutenant Colonel Hughes was nice enough to tell us and now you're going to rat him out, nii-san?"

"I…" Ed calmed instantly at the suggestion. "Of course not! It's not like I have to tell the Colonel how I found out…"

Oh, how Al itched to be able to stare at his big brother incredulously again. He really missed being able to show emotion. "You really think Colonel Mustang is _that_ stupid?"

The short alchemist reacted instantly. "Er, well…it was a joke, Al! A joke!" He made a show of laughing fakely before slumping with a sigh. "Just give me that week, Al. I'll figure out a way to get out of here."

"I don't think it's a good idea, nii-san. You're going to get in trouble again."

"Don't question me! We're escaping, damn it!"

Al gave up easily. _I never get through to him, do I?_

For the next couple days, Ed amusingly suspected everyone around him while Envy tried to decide on his next trick, fairly certain now that the Elric brothers would make no move to get away. They had avoided Mustang like the plague, and the homunculus found this lack of conflict extremely boring. So he had taken the liberty of writing the stiff man a note and leaving it on his desk while he was away at lunch-probably on a date. It had been a very simple statement:

_Colonel, we need to talk._

_-Ed_

He couldn't say for sure that that's how the blond would have written it, but he'd take his chances. Anything for amusement. Living for hundreds of years was really starting to get to him, he noted. Humanity, though evolving, had never truly changed…and it was _really boring_. Right on cue, roughly ten minutes after the end of Roy's lunch, Hawkeye appeared and summoned the older of the brothers to Mustang's office. Envy laughed gleefully as his wild purple eyes picked up on the panic in the blond's movements. _I can practically see the sweat on your forehead, Chibi-san!_ He skipped off to hang around outside of the office windows, disguising himself as a small child in case anyone happened to catch him at it. For the moment, he sat under the window and listened.

Ed was instantly stiff the second Riza had opened the door that would lead to his doom. Mustang sat there, looking smug as usual, and it only deepened the blond's frown. _What does he want? Is he going to ask why we were planning to run away? But he should know that already…_

Roy smirked, coincidently wondering why the small alchemist had called for their meeting. He had noticed the red coat disappearing around corners where ever he went, so he could only assume the blond was avoiding him. To what point and purpose, he didn't know, but figured it had something to do with the note he found on his desk upon his return. "You're looking well, Full Metal. Have a seat."

"Ah, cut the crap already!" Ed burst out but plopped onto the small couch anyway, crossing his arms. "Let's hurry up and get this over with."

Roy's smirk melted into a frown immediately, surprised and disappointed. "Alright, then I'll be frank. What is it you want?"

Ed stared stupidly. "…what?"

The raven haired man narrowed his eyes impatiently. "I'm asking you what the purpose of this meeting is. I trust that you can gather up the courage to speak your mind after going through the trouble of asking for an audience."

"Asking for a-what are you _talking_ about? It was _you_ who called _me_ here!"

Mustang was annoyed. "Very funny, Full Metal. I'm a busy man-hurry up and state your business."

The blond jumped up. "And I'm telling you, I didn't-" A note was shoved in his face. As to when the taller had gotten up, he had no idea.

"Is this your writing?" _If it isn't, there's going to be hell to pay._

He peeled the paper off his face and blinked down at it. "Well, yeah, but-"

Mustang couldn't prevent the twitch of aggravation from occurring at his eye. "And you're _still_ going to try and tell me-"

"_I didn't write this!_" He threw the paper back at the other alchemist, but it fluttered to the floor long before it could reach him.

Envy chuckled happily from outside. Oh, how fantastic it was! They were fighting predictably, and if he was lucky enough, they'd even try to bash each other's heads in.

"Alright, I'll humor you. Let's say that someone else did it. If that's the case, why have you been avoiding me?"

Ed gave a slight nervous smile. "What are you talking about? I haven't-"

"Shut up!" Roy took a deep breath and sighed, regaining his composure. He rubbed his temple as if getting a headache. "If you honestly insist that you have absolutely _no_ business with me, then get out of here. I have better things to do." He turned his back on Ed, preferring to stare out the window. His voice softened as the irritation began to seep out of him. "I…can't stand the sight of you anymore."

The blond frowned. "…what's that supposed to mean?"

"Do you have something to say, or don't you? Because if not, I think it would be time for you to leave."

It annoyed him that the Colonel wouldn't look him in the eyes right then. For some reason, that he certainly couldn't explain, it made him want to do something that would get his superior to look his way again. "We're avoiding you because you're treating us like babies, having all your little groupies keep an eye on us!"

He tried _really_ hard to ignore the obvious malice in the blond's voice and the use of 'groupies' as opposed to friends, coworkers, or even subordinates. "And why would I do that?"

_Don't play dumb! _"Because we want to _leave_! What, did you have someone spying on us already to catch that little rumor?"

He could have whipped around, could have yelled, definitely wanted to hit the ignorant boy in the face, but he was all too confused. Who wrote the note? Was Edward lying? What the hell was he talking about? Mustang turned to face him slowly. "I'd heard no such rumor, but thank you for the information. I'll be sure to place guards at all major exit points throughout the perimeter."

"Save your bullshit for someone who will believe it! Hughes already told us exactly what you did." _I hadn't planned to mention him, but…what the heck is going on here?_

"Lieutenant Colonel Hughes?" _Why would he say something like that? Surely not just to get a reaction out of them…it doesn't seem like something he'd do. I'll have to inquire…_

"Who else?!"

"And he told you…what, exactly?"

Ed crossed his arms again. "I'm not repeating myself!"

Roy approached him confidently. "There must be some misunderstanding on your part, Full Metal."

"I'll give you a misunderstanding-"

"There's no one watching you."

He stared up at the raven haired alchemist suspiciously. "What? Yes there is-"

"If there is, it's all in your head. I assure you, Full Metal, I've heard no rumors concerning you or your brother, nor have I sent anyone to spy on you. Even if I had, do you really think I'd waste the time or manpower just _watching_ you? You're free to escape if you like, but I can guarantee that I'll recapture you, and you'll receive the full consequences of those actions."

Ed flipped out and grabbed the Colonel's uniform with his automail hand, forcing the older man to stoop down to his level. "Look, I don't know what the hell you're up to, but…" He lost steam quickly when Roy unexpectedly gave him one his rare smiles, as he suddenly found the whole situation more amusing than disturbing. "…I'm really confused…"

"I think I am, too…" And then he took the opportunity to kiss the short alchemist. It was quick, the warmth of his lips vanishing as soon as it had gotten there. It exposed everything, yet promised nothing. He didn't know why he had done it, Edward _certainly_ didn't know why he had done it, and neither of them cared. It was the most bizarre situation they had ever been in. The blond only stared at him a moment more before kissing him again. This time…it lasted.

Envy could only wonder what was happening, and decided to take his chances on looking in the window. His eyes suddenly widened in disbelief and his disguise disappeared of its own accord. _What…_ It didn't make any sense. It was impossible. That wasn't what he had intended to do. And suddenly, Edward Elric had something _else_ that Envy had never had, and _he_ had been the one to give it to him. It snapped something inside of him, and while he hated the chibi alchemist more than anyone in the world, at that moment, wrapped in Mustang's arms, his eyes closed in pleasure, so openly vulnerable, he was… _…beautiful._ Envy was ready to pull his hair out. _Oh, what the fuck am I thinking?! I better hurry up and kill him, cause I'm going insane!_ He took off, never looking back, towards the rooftops to assess this new and very twisted situation.

When they had parted to catch their breath, reality hit Ed like a ton of bricks. _What am I…I…_He ripped himself from Roy's grasp and tore out of the room, barely able to ignore the voice that called him back.

In no time, the boy was out of sight and Mustang gave up with a sigh before sitting back down at his desk. _What happens now…?_ He picked up the receiver from the phone on his desk and began to dial.

A dazed homunculus, who shouldn't have been able to feel anything except envy, sat alone and confused on the edge of the roof. One leg was pulled up to his chest and the other dangled off carelessly.

"Envy. Where have you been?" Lust crossed her arms. "We have word from 'that person'…preparations for our next move are almost complete. It will be three days at the most."

"What _wonderful_ news…" he droned sarcastically. "Am I supposed to thank you for it?"

Her frown was evident in her voice. "What's your problem _now_, Envy? I thought you wanted to leave this place."

"Not until I _kill him_."

"You know you can't. 'That person' would kill you."

He smirked. "Ha, as if that'd matter once Full Metal Bean is dead."

"What good is revenge if you're not around to enjoy it?" Lust quirked a brow. "Isn't that what humans would call an 'unhealthy obsession'?"

"Hmm, what was it I told you earlier?" He paused, as if in thought. "Oh yeah: bite me."

She shrugged. "I could care less about this kid…or you, for that matter. Do as you like." Lust had only made it a few steps before his mocking voice stopped her.

"Aw, we're not 'friends'?"

She glared at his back. "We have no friends."

"Mm." He hummed in agreement. "What a shame."

"…don't you want him to create the Philosopher's Stone, so we can be human?"

"No." Envy lied. "Why would I want something stupid like that? What good is a body that's not indestructible? Who wants these human 'feelings' that are hurt so easily? Human…? What bullshit." He leaned forward to look down into the darkness as the dear Colonel was leaving for the night, seemingly in a hurry, and he felt a sharp pain in his chest. It was something he shouldn't have felt-something he shouldn't have been _able_ to feel. "You'll never become who you were supposed to be, so what's the point?"

"I would be…someone. That hurt you speak of…I'd almost like to know…what it feels like."

"…you sound like you already know."

She stared at the ground sadly. "'Homunculi have no soul'. That's what they say. Yet…could you fake your emotions so easily as other people if you didn't already know what they felt like? Perhaps we don't have the soul we were meant to have…but an artificially created one, just as our bodies were made."

Envy narrowed his eyes. "Don't be stupid…"

"Is it so stupid? I am not human…but I know that my sadness is real. What does that mean?"

"It means you're thinking too much." He easily waved it off. "Even if we can feel, there's a _reason_ we're not supposed to. Why don't you think about _that_." Before she could say more, Edward and Alphonse Elric flew through the very same doors the Colonel had left through moments before, carrying a single bag and running at full speed. Envy suddenly became inexplicably angry. "So you decided to escape after all." There was something decidedly sinister about his scowl as he jumped from the roof, becoming Roy Mustang in an instant. "Stop it right there, Full Metal!"

Earlier, Colonel Mustang had called his friend Maes and interrogated him impatiently. "So you really didn't come back into the building."

"Would you stop asking me if I said I did?"

He tried to stay calm. "I'll stop asking when this makes _sense_! He swears he saw you, you swear you went home!"

There was a short pause before the voice came through the phone again. "…doesn't that mean someone's lying?"

"…yes…" _Who would lie to me? I didn't think…either of them…_

"And I swear on our friendship, it's not me."

"…"

"Ah, kids are impulsive and scared of getting caught, right? Speaking of kids, my Elysia-chan is getting more beautiful by the minute! She-"

The raven haired man casually hung up the phone, well used to the routine. _Who…_ After a while, he mindlessly finished his paperwork and wandered through the halls, heading for the exit. A young soldier saluted him on his way out and he stopped suddenly. "…you."

"Sir!"

"Are you here every evening?"

The boy tried to stand up as straight as possible. "Yes, sir!"

_This is crazy. I'm crazy._ "A few nights ago, after everyone left at five, did Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes return?"

He seemed to think on it a moment. "Um…yes, sir! The Lieutenant Colonel said he had forgotten something."

"Did he say what it was?"

"No, sir."

_No? Well, of course not. Not if it was something like that. But then_…

"_And I swear on our friendship, it's not me."_

"Did he say anything else?"

"Uh…gee, I don't know Colonel, sir…"

"Try to remember. It's an important matter of military security." _…sort of._

The boy sweat dropped, worried now. "Well…" He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to picture that evening. "…oh! I had asked if he wanted me to get someone to fetch what he had forgotten…and he told me that the key to success is doing things for yourself. He told me to remember that." He laughed a little, nervously.

_But that's…_ "Is that all?"

"Yes, sir."

"…thank you." He proceeded out the front doors, quickening his pace. _That's not something Maes would say at all._

"_If you want to be Fuhrer, you'll need someone loyal working under you, to push you to the top."_

_He had made it clear…that there's no way to reach your goals alone._ Only one thing was for certain: if someone, who was apparently interested in Edward Elric, _had_ infiltrated the military, whatever his motives, he wasn't out to kill the boy…or he would have done so already.

At the same time, Ed had packed up his things, more than ready to leave after his dubious encounter with his commanding officer.

"Nii-san…"

"The Colonel should have left by now, Al. It's the perfect time."

"But why so suddenly…?" He may not have been able to show emotion, but the worry was there, in his voice. "Did something happen when you went to Colonel Mustang's office…?"

The blond blushed immediately and tried to hide it from his brother. "D-Don't be stupid! I just can't stand it anymore. If we have to stay somewhere, let's go to Central or something, okay? We'll be safe there…safe from annoyance!"

"But what about Scar?" He followed Ed out of their dorm room.

"There are plenty of talented State Alchemists in Central. It's not like he's the only one that can 'protect' us, Al. If it was him versus Scar in the rain, _he'd_ be the one to blow up!" Although meant to be a joke, just the thought of it made him feel sick to his stomach. "Let's…hurry up and go, okay?!" With that he took off at a run, his brother right behind him, yelling for him to wait.

Edward and Alphonse Elric flew through the very same doors the Colonel had left through moments before, carrying a single bag and running at full speed.

"Stop it right there, Full Metal!"

Ed came to a screeching halt and the suit of armor that was his little brother promptly smashed into him. They lie in a heap on the ground for a good 30 seconds before the blond could manage to react. _Damn, I thought for sure he could have left already! _"Al, get off me! You're ruining our escape!"

"Me?! You're the one who stopped, Nii-san!" But he got off him all the same.

"This is your final warning." The fake Roy extended a gloved hand as if he could really do alchemy. "You can come back now or be carried in on a stretcher. Your choice."

Ed frowned. _Is he really that mad…?_ But before he could come up with the proper response, there was an explosion several feet away by the front gates. Lo and behold, the whole reason the real Colonel had been worried in the first place calmly strolled in.

"Shit!" Envy cursed…and had it been another situation, it might have been funny to hear the usually calm Colonel utter such words.

Scar spotted the boy easily. "Edward Elric…last time, you were lucky enough to escape, but today, you will meet your end."

The blond's eyes almost popped out of his head. _Man, this is the last thing I need today!_ He whipped around. "What're you waiting for, Colonel? Fry him!"

On the one hand, Envy just wanted to bang his head against a nice, thick concrete wall until he died. None of his plans were turning out right at all, and it was all due to stupid people and elements he couldn't control. On the other hand, he really couldn't keep this façade going for much longer. There was no possible way for him to fake alchemy, but showing himself would only bring more disaster. The man called 'Scar' really irritated him. The Ishivalan seemed to have a fixation on the small alchemist as well, but he'd be damned if anyone was going to kill the brat but him. Seeing no other options, he shot forward, just barely squeezing between the two brothers on his way to his target. Ed called him back pointlessly, but he couldn't hear anything in his rage. Scar reached for him instantly, but if there was one thing that made Envy's fighting incredible, it was his agility. He ducked under and easily tripped the surprised man, who certainly wasn't expecting this from the military man he had briefly met once before-the one who couldn't seem to do anything without alchemy.

The Elric brothers could merely watch, totally stunned. Yet there was something familiar about Mustang's fighting style that nagged them somewhere in the back of their minds.

Envy brought his heel down on Scar's stomach with a loud crunch, and took a step back as the man spat blood, thinking it was pretty much over. But no sooner had he turned half way around had his right arm been grabbed by the fallen man, and with a quick flash of heat and red light, Envy's arm disintegrated in front of his eyes. While he couldn't die, each death and injury were still painful to a point. He tried to keep his concentration on his form so that he wouldn't change back.

Now that he was down on his knees, Scar, who was also unable to get all the way back up, reached for his head. A second later, Envy was tackled from the side and went flying. While he may have been in the form of a taller, bulkier form than himself, he still weighed exactly the same. That was how he kept his agility, no matter what shape he was. It would have been amusing if someone had found him as a small child and tried to pick him up, he had thought, because he would have weighed a ton. Ed had jumped him to get him out of the way, and it ticked him off to know the chibi was only trying to 'save' him because he thought he was someone else. He briefly wondered what it felt like to have someone care about you like that, but quickly dismissed it. He didn't need stupid things like 'friends' and 'love'. 'Care' was a word that, when used in a positive form, didn't exist in his vocabulary. "Colonel, you-"

The blond had landed on top of him, their faces close, and for some reason, he had felt the slight tingling that was present when he changed forms. It made him panic a little and he pushed Ed away roughly. It would only be perhaps another minute before his arm happily regrew itself. And then things would be all too obvious.

Ed could only stare in horror as blood pooled on the ground. "Idiot, why didn't you use alchemy?! You-"

"Save it, Full Metal." Envy got back to his feet and his arm started to burn-the process was beginning.

Scar was struggling to stand as Al ran over to them. "Nii-san! What're we going to do?"

The blond was officially panicking. "How should I know?! We need to get out of here!"

The night watchmen were pouring out at last, hastily shooting at the scarred man who only tried to dodge them for a little while before reluctantly retreating into the darkness. But not before he got one last look at Edward Elric. A glance that said 'We will meet again.'

When Ed had turned to look back at the Colonel, he was gone. "Wha-Al, where did he go?!"

"I…"

"That idiot! We have to get him to a hospit…al…" His words trailed off as a figure approached them quickly.

"I came back as soon as I heard. Are you two unharmed?" The real Roy Mustang stood before them, clad in a regular white t-shirt and black slacks with a black mid-length trench coat that seemed all too fancy without his regular attire. He extended his hand to the blond, who was the only one on the ground.

Ed could only stare at the right hand that shouldn't have been there. _What the hell…?_

Mustang frowned. "Is something wrong? Full Metal?"

For a moment, everyone was silent.

"Nii-san…"

"Mm." He agreed to the unspoken statement, standing on his own, not willing to admit that he was afraid to take the offered hand. "It could have been-no, it _was_…Envy."

"Envy?" The raven haired alchemist echoed, having no clue. "…I think we'd better speak in my office. Go there now."

Ed nodded numbly and walked off with Al in tow who had briefly stopped to grab their bag. Another escape attempt miraculously foiled!

Mustang grabbed the highest ranking officer he could spot and had him immediately call people in, set up a perimeter around the city and around the building, as well as form a Scar search team and call in some builders to assess and repair the damage as soon as possible. It was going to be one hell of a long night, he could tell. Surely, it wouldn't be long before a pajama-clad detective showed up to help them piece together the puzzle.

Back on the rooftop where he had started, Envy hissed as his arm slowly reformed itself while he watched the chaos down below.

Lust had seen the whole thing, but had made no move to stop him. It would have been pointless anyway. She produced a bag of the red stones, which would speed up the process. He ate them without complaint and she frowned. "…you saved them."

"Oh, please." He bit out. "'_Saved_ them'? Saved them for myself, maybe! No one's going to kill that pipsqueak before I do."

"Then why didn't you?"

Envy glared up at her. "Wasn't it _you_ who told me not to? And now you'll complain? Make up your damn mind!"

"So…until you're allowed to kill him, you'll _protect_ him. Is that what you're saying?"

He twitched, easily getting frustrated. He flexed his new arm a few times before ruffling his hair with irritation. "I don't know! If he can't even take care of himself then I guess I'll have to! Now, why don't you do me a favor and go jump off a cliff, hm?"

She smirked slightly. "You're angry that I know what you're doing."

He shot her the best bored look he could muster. "And what am I 'doing'?"

"Acting human."

Envy looked back down at the ridiculous people, running around like chickens with their heads cut off. "As if I'd ever be…like them…" But he knew it wouldn't convince her if he couldn't even convince himself. It was _irritating_.

"Then, from one pretend human to another, allow me to warn you…" Her claws automatically extended towards him. "…if you try to kill the scarred Ishivalan again, I'll take away your only chance for precious revenge-_I _will kill Edward Elric."

He narrowed his eyes, not even bothering to look up at her. "…"

"Do we understand each other?"

There was silence for a moment before Envy began laughing psychotically. For some reason, he just couldn't stop. _This is all so…fucking ridiculous!_


	2. Chapter 2

KABOOM! At last, huh? Sorry it took so long. Despite my struggles with this chapter and my lack of sleep, I think it turned out rather well. I like the direction this story is going I think it's a lot of fun because Envy's so unpredictable. You can see a lot of meaning in the things he does, and you can pick them apart all you want...but you just never know what's really going on with that guy. At the end of chapter one, it was very clear who were allies and who were enemies...I wonder how it'll change by the end of this chapter?

Don't forget to review, please! It lets me know how I'm doing, as well as shows me that my work is appreciated. Enjoy!

_

* * *

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Chapter Two

It was well after midnight and they all has dark circles under their eyes, their exhaustion happy to show itself. Especially in Ed, who had just had a very emotionally trying day. Roy noted that the boy's eyes would drift to his right hand occasionally, and it made him feel strange inside. The whole concept was extremely hard to grasp, and at first, he had been skeptical. But when the tired man really thought about it, it all came together: how 'Hughes' had been able to come back and talk to the brothers, the note on his desk not being written by the real Full Metal Alchemist, and finally, 'himself' fighting off Scar without the use of alchemy. The detective had agreed with this theory, and had written everything down, though he would make no official file for such a thing. Who would believe in a created human-or several with extraordinary powers for that matter-that could change shape? Aside from the obvious, it seemed best to keep the details secret for now.

"Well, your story adds up…" Mustang admitted. "However, there's still one more thing that doesn't make sense."

The blond blinked his tired eyes, as if he couldn't believe that there could be more. "What's that?"

"Our homunculus fugitive, this…_Envy_, lacks a motive. Why did he do all of this? What did it do for him?"

The brothers glanced at each other for a moment before looking back to the Colonel. The younger scratched the back of his head nervously. "He tried to kill us the last time we met, so…we don't really know."

Hughes pouted from his seat on the desk, half asleep in his ducky pajamas. "But that doesn't really make sense with what happened today…"

This was a most unsatisfactory answer. There had to be a reason-every single action that any person ever took had a motive. _Becoming Maes and writing the note could make sense…they created conflict, which means distraction. But trying to be __**me**__…what was his purpose? It seemed like he was trying really hard to keep them here, and prevent them from running away, which would tie in to what he told them as Maes. But if he were trying to kill them, he could have done so easily as Maes or myself…that aside, he could have let Scar finish them. Instead he __**fought**__ him and lost an arm…and for what? Why protect them now?_ _Unless…_ "Am I to understand that as you've become closer to the Philosopher's Stone, more of these homunculi have shown themselves?"

Ed really didn't want to tell him that it was true. He knew exactly what would happen if he did. But Al didn't think of it and answered honestly. "I guess you could say that, Colonel. They do seem to be related to it in some way…"

The blond was far too tired to get angry and collapsed against the armor instead, exasperated. "Al…"

…_he's not alone. There's a group of them. They could have some kind of leader that has yet to show himself, and perhaps this person has decided…that these brothers are useful to their purpose after all-whatever that purpose is._ "…I see." There was a pause. "…you know what I'm going to say, Full Metal."

Ed refused to open his eyes. "Yeah, I do…and you can _forget it_."

Mustang frowned. "It's not a request. This is my direct order: for the moment, until we can make some sort of sense out of what's going on here, you are to cease searching for the Philosopher's Stone."

Fully awake now, the small alchemist jumped up. "No way in _hell_-"

"You've already become a target." The raven haired man turned his chair to stare out his window into the night. "Whatever their plans are, you're obviously a part of it. I'm being transferred to Central in two days, regardless of this ruckus, and you _will_ accompany me. If you won't do so of your own accord, I'll have you detained and placed under my 24/7 watch."

_Whatever happened earlier…that was a mistake-no, a __**joke**__! He just loves making my life as miserable as possible, as if it isn't already bad enough! I…really fucking hate you!_ "How long do you plan to jerk us around?"

Roy shot him a warning glace. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me! This whole time…you swore that joining the military would help us reach our goals, but all it's doing is dragging us down! Everywhere we go to investigate, people hate us because we're connected to _you_ and it makes things harder! People don't want to give information to a dog of the military! You're just using us to get promoted, asshole-"

"That's _enough_!" Hughes stood and shoved the young alchemists out into the hall. He turned to his friend briefly and gave a worn-out smile. "I'll be right back." Then proceeding to drag the boys down the halls, towards their lodgings. "You have a lot of nerve, Ed."

_What?_ "Tell that to _him_! He's the one who-"

Hughes stopped suddenly, whirling around, looking probably the angriest they'd ever seen him. He leaned close to Ed with a frown. "You better listen closely to what I'm about to tell you, Edward." Then he paused a moment, staring into defiant golden eyes before continuing. "First of all, you may be just a kid, but talking to your commanding officer like that, _especially_ in front of anyone else, can get you court marshaled. It's only _because_ you're a kid that he's letting it slide-he's _trying_ to watch out for you guys!" He sighed exaggeratedly. "It must be hard to want to keep helping you when you're always so ungrateful." He began walking again.

Ed averted his eyes. "I'm not ungrateful…"

"I'm sorry that there's been so many delays on your quest, but half of it is your own fault!" He shrugged, ignoring the pissy looks he was getting from a certain blond. "Besides, for all the trouble your position has caused you, I'm sure it's helped you, too."

Al poked his brother. "He's right, nii-san…"

He jumped a little with the touch to his automail-free ticklish side. "S-Shut up, Al!"

"The bottom line is: Roy's doing his best to help. There are some things he wouldn't do for a promotion…I thought you'd know that much by now, at least. He's working hard, so give him a break."

Ed was starting to feel guilty now, and he didn't like that. "…"

"Here we are!" Hughes announced. "Have a nice sleep. Oh, and don't try to escape, because I'm posting armed guards outside you door and window. And Mustang and I will probably be here all night! Ta-ta!" And with that he was gone.

Ed resigned himself to his terrible fate and sighed, opening the door, taking few steps inside before collapsing on the cot.

"Nii-san…"

"…shut up, Al."

The younger would have smiled if he could.

* * *

"So!" The detective burst back into Roy's office, only to find the impatient man already asleep, arms folded on top of his desk for his head to rest on. He had most likely gotten bored, with ease, while waiting. "Heh." Hughes shrugged and grabbed the man's coat, draping it over his sleeping form as a makeshift blanket. "You know the little shrimp doesn't mean anything by what he says…don't you? He's too young to fully understand…how much you risk for him." He sighed and sat down, now doomed to fall asleep since he had no one else to talk to.

* * *

"That was a really stupid move, you know."

Envy twitched, resisting the urge to turn around and beat the hell out of her-not that it would have done any good anyway. "What are you complaining about _now_?!" He'd been sitting on the roof, in various locations, for the whole night. Dawn was approaching and he was about ready to die from boredom-the one thing that could kill him easily.

"You knew what would happen." She chided. "So why do it?"

"I didn't know that bastard would show up! Stop trying to make this into something it's not." He stood and kicked a ventilation pipe, denting it. The defect pleased him a little and he kicked it again.

Lust watched him a moment, trying to decide what exactly he thought she was saying, or even whatever it was that he was talking about in general. "Something it's not? So you're saying it wasn't an idiotic thing to do?"

Envy huffed. "They're still here, aren't they? So give it three days, we'll throw whatever half-ass plan into action and everything's taken care of."

"Assuming they'll be here that long." She crossed her arms and glared out at the horizon as a slight breeze brushed past them. "They know who we are and what we're capable of-to some extent. Wouldn't it make sense to get as far away from here as possible, now that you've made it clear that we're aware of the Full Metal boy's location? It doesn't take a genius to realize that he's the target." She stared as he shrugged carelessly before sitting back down. "I foresee this plan failing before it can even begin…because of _you_." _I want…the Philosopher's Stone! But…what do __**you**__ want, Envy? What are you __**really**__ after?_

"Whoop-de-fucking-do. What are you, a psychic? You gonna go tell 'daddy' or something?"

The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. "You…could care less if we ever get the Philosopher's Stone." _Which means…_

"Got that right. You wanna make the mistake of becoming one of the very same pathetic little creatures you despise, you go right ahead and do it. But count me _out_."

"I…see."

She seemed to have changed instantly, and Envy definitely noticed. "…"

"Then I'll carry out our plans without you. Unless your specific skills are needed, I…now know better than to waste my time."

"Aw, what's the matter? Did I hurt your _delicate _human feelings?"

"…go to hell, Envy."

He smirked. "That's probably where we _came_ from…"

Lust frowned, turning her back on him and taking a few steps before stopping again. "You…have feelings, too, you know."

"If I do, then at least I'm smart enough not to listen to them."

_But you already have._ "…" Saying no more, as it would be pointless, she walked away. _I…figured you out at last, Envy. I now see what drives you: obviously revenge…but this is on a level that I had never expected. Creating the Philosopher's requires more than just the sacrifice of human lives. The alchemic laws of Equivalent Exchange state it quite clearly: in order to gain something, something of equal value must be given up. I don't know much about alchemy, but any fool should understand how the Philosopher's Stone works. It lets you bypass the law of Equivalent Exchange by using up the lives it was made with. But, like human transmutation, in order to create the stone itself, even if you have all of the ingredients…that boy doesn't have many body parts left as it is, and it requires a great sacrifice. He might disappear. And if that happens, you'd never get your revenge, would you, Envy? I understand this now: you're actually standing in our way. Well, surely 'that person' would not…no, __**I**__ will not let this happen. Just as Greed stood no chance against all of us, neither will you. You may be the oldest of us, but you could never surpass 'that person'…and without red stones, you can only die so many times before you cease to revive. _Her mind made up, Lust quickened her pace, Gluttony at her side, to seek out 'that person'…to get help removing the one thing that threatened them, once and for all.

It was, perhaps, fortunate for the annoyed homunculus that he had been around long enough to be so familiar with emotions. And what he sensed in Lust's reaction, he decided, was something like…_fear_. Of what, he couldn't be completely sure. Nor did he know her well enough to bother trying to predict what actions she might take in response to his little acts of defiance. _Whatever._ He stared down at the guard outside the Elric's window. _It's not like it matters what she does. Even 'that person'…__**no one**__ will stop me. _He jumped down off the corner and picked a random window to climb into. Easily becoming the guard from outside he exited the room he had broken into and rushed down the halls until he came upon the boy's room, complete with a different guard outside of it. Not that it was any problem.

The short, bored man noticed him quickly. After all, he'd had nothing else to look at all night, so it was easy to spot movement. "Hey! Aren't you supposed to be outside? What're you doing?"

He faked being short of breath, like he'd been running a while. "There's…this really weird sound outside."

"What?" The blond tried to hold in his laughter. "A _sound_? What are you, four years old? Mommy, there's a monster under the bed!"

"Shut up, man! I'm serious! There's something out there…"

The nameless soldier quirked a brow. "What do you expect me to do about it? I'm not switching with you, if that's what you're looking for, Johnson."

"I _know_, but…can't you just come and listen to it? I mean, it's probably just the air conditioner acting up or something…but can't you just come check it out with me? Please?"

He sighed. "Geez, you're such a sissy. Fine, let's go see."

"Thanks. I'm gonna catch my breath for a second, then I'll meet you out there."

"I'm not falling for that trick! I'll wait by the door for five minutes and if you're not there by then, you can forget it."

"Ok, ok, ok…"

"Geez…" And just like that, he walked off down the hall. A minute after he had turned the corner out of sight, 'Johnson' smirked. "Sucker." He knocked on the Elric's door before letting himself in. "Mr. Elric, sir!"

"Eeeehuuuuh?" Was all he heard from the top bunk. It was up high enough that you couldn't even see the pint-sized alchemist.

He flicked on the light, causing the blond to sit up and cover his eyes. He tried his hardest not to appear amused.

"Ow. What the hell's the meaning of this?" Ed worked on rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Er, sorry, sir. Should I turn the light back off?"

He sighed with an obvious air of annoyance. "Too late _now_. What do you want?"

"Colonel Mustang requests your presence in the officer's break room on the other side of the building."

"What…?" _Colonel…? What the hell for? I wonder if he figured something out… _Ed carefully climbed down the mini ladder on the side of the bed. "What time is it?"

"Um…" He pulled his sleeve up slowly to reveal the watch he had just made appear there, estimating the time from the clock he had seen in the hall. "Four, sir."

The blond growled and grabbed his red coat. "This better be an emergency!"

Al seemed more concerned than angry. "Is something wrong?" He stood to follow his big brother out.

"Ah…I'm afraid the Colonel gave no explanations…" He paused. "He…also requested that only Edward Elric come, sir. I'm afraid I must ask you to stay here."

Al would have pouted if he could. "Just nii-san…?"

Said boy grinned widely at the suit of armor reassuringly. "It'll be fine, Al. Probably stupid military business. You'll know when I get back anyway, right?"

This seemed to satisfy him and he sat down again. "I guess…"

The door was closed and Envy nodded to the boy. "Do you need me to escort you, sir?" He asked merely as a formality, since he already knew the answer.

"Nah…"

_There's no way you'd run without your precious brother…_After a moment, Ed was out of sight and Envy climbed out the nearest window before hopping back onto the roof. He jogged across the structure easily and checked the ground before dropping down to it. He peered into a few windows before he found the correct one, slipping himself inside. He had just transformed into Roy and closed the window when Ed knocked briefly before entering. He crossed his arms and stared out at the night. "Took you long enough, Full Metal."

"Well, _excuse me_! I was sleeping! Do you have news or not?"

"Not exactly…"

He stared. _Then…what was so important that you had to wake me up?_ "Mind telling me what I'm doing here, then?"

"…earlier-"

"_Stop_."

The 'Colonel' blinked and turned to look at Ed, whose eyes were shadowed by his bangs. "…look, I understand that you don't want to talk-"

"Just cut it out! 'Earlier'…_never happened._ It was obviously a mistake, so let's forget the whole thing."

Envy fell silent, more than a little surprised. The whole point was to take away something that Edward had that he didn't-no, _couldn't_ have. He wanted to be the one to tell the blond that it was a mistake and he couldn't possibly be in a relationship with a _man_, much less a _child_. That he, as Colonel, had a reputation and standards, and that he wasn't about to mess with either of those for a little brat who did nothing but piss him off. But suddenly he found that what he thought the boy had, he had apparently never wanted in the first place. It was a familiar feeling and he didn't like empathizing with the shrimp at _all_. He wasn't sure how to counter it and it left his plans in ruins. He tried to salvage the situation by smirking slightly at the angry face. "…well, for once, I applaud your maturity. I was going to say something similar…though in a more gentle way, but it seems you've beaten me to it."

Ed seemed pleased with this, even if he was pissed about the maturity comment, as he had figured the usually calm man might blow up about it. "I'll stick around for two days and then follow you to Central, but after that we're going to continue our search for the Philosopher's stone."

This alarmed him. _Central? Two days? Shit!_ "…I'm not sure that's such a great idea…" But Envy knew, no matter what he said, that wouldn't change anything. He knew he couldn't tell him that they really weren't leaving for four days, because the real Colonel would tell him otherwise and he'd figure it out in no time.

Something felt off about this is Ed's mind, but he couldn't quite place it. He was still too tired. Why had Roy gone from ordering him to quit earlier to merely a weak protest? It didn't make sense. The blond yawned before narrowing his eyes slightly. "Finally given up? We're going to keep searching no matter what happens. My arm and leg aren't going to grow themselves back."

Envy twitched a little, as his own arm had done exactly that. He surprised himself further by realizing: _I guess I have __**something**__ he doesn't have._ He nearly growled out loud. _But if that's how it is, I also have enhanced senses and things like that. Damn it. I…never asked for any of this! Someone else decided it for me! That doesn't count. And they aren't things he'd want anyway. I'm going to take away __**everything**__…I'll have complete power over you. And then, when you're worthless and broken, with nothing left to live for…like __**me**__…I'll put you out of your sweet misery. Maybe. It would be nice to watch you suffer for a while…but time is short, even for me. Either way, revenge will have been served. And then I can kill 'him' and 'that person'…after that, I don't care what happens. _But for now, he knew he had to play the part of the concerned boss…though it wouldn't hurt to get some information while he did it. "Do you have any idea what you're up against?"

The boy frowned again. _Didn't we already talk about this…?_ "The homunculi are bad, but we've dealt with them before-"

"And how much do we know about them? The homunculi?" Envy left his face blank, betraying no emotion.

Ed averted his eyes when he found that he couldn't take the stare. "…next to nothing, I guess…"

"Exactly." He took a few steps towards the other, closing the gap between them. "One of the most basic rules of combat is to know your enemy. You have unlimited resources at your disposal…surely you could find _some_ information on them. As talented as you are, I don't doubt that you might know of someone who could be of assistance."

_Sensei…she might know something. No, if __**anyone**__ would know…I'm sure it'd be her! But…_ A feeling of absolute doom came over him. _…she'd kill us for sure!_

"We're going to Central, correct? It's the perfect opportunity."

Ed finally looked up at the Colonel. "Uh…what's being in Central got to with it?"

'Roy' quirked a brow. "…Central Library, Full Metal. There should be _some_ kind of information among the thousands of books there."

_Oh, obviously! _He shook his head, realizing that he must still be pretty tired if he didn't even pick up on the implications he gave about Central. "Right…"

"And then there is…one particular thing of interest there."

The blond stared up at him blankly, waiting to hear it.

His sleepy look was far too amusing and Envy quickly looked elsewhere. "There was a doctor, some years ago…an alchemist. I can't disclose the details to you, but…look up any books by Dr. Tim Marcoh. I'm sure…you'll find something relating to your quest there." _And this way…_

Golden eyes widened. "About the Philosopher's Stone?!"

He shrugged casually. "Who knows?"

Ed wasn't sure whether to glomp him or beat him senseless. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?! You knew about this all along!"

Envy grasped the boy's shoulders firmly, as if willing him to calm down. He lowered his head so that they were face to face. "Consider this…an apology."

Finding that the man was a little too close for comfort, he blushed unconsciously. "What for…?"

The raven haired alchemist smirked. "Am I making you nervous…_Edward_?"

"I…uh…" He could only stare. "We…agreed that…"

The homunculus dangerously felt himself being drawn in as if by an invisible force. He leaned forward…closer…closer…And then, suddenly, he heard shouting in the hall accompanied by rushing footsteps. He sighed and let go of the boy, taking a few steps back. "Always interrupted. How annoying."

"Eh?" Ed blinked.

As the voices came closer, he could hear his name being called. "Full Metal?" And suddenly, the real Colonel Mustang burst into the room, followed by Maes, Al and the two soldiers that had been keeping watch on the Elric's room. "Full Metal! You-" He cut himself off and could only gape at his mirror image, which smirked at him happily.

_You bastards always ruin my fun._ He blew Roy a kiss and slipped out the window with ease, since he had already opened it when they barged in.

In a fit of rage, Ed sprinted to the window and dove out, ignoring Mustang's protests. But by then, Envy was already gone. It left him with a weird feeling that he just couldn't shake. _There's no way…I can tell them about this!_

* * *

"Okay, so you're telling me…" Ed and the real Colonel were speaking alone, per the small blond's request. "That he pulled off this elaborate stunt to get you alone…just to _talk_ to you?" It really didn't make any sense to him. "You're sure you're not forgetting anything?"

The younger alchemist sighed. "Like I said, he mentioned our…uh…'thing'…told me to look up information at Central Library and that was it." _I can't tell you…I can't tell you about his information on the Philosopher's Stone. Even if it's fake, or meant to waste my time…I have to check it out for myself._

"Ugh…" Roy sunk down into his chair. "Do you have any idea what this means?"

"_Do you have any idea what you're up against?"_

Ed flinched at the phrase. They looked identical, sounded identical…they even _spoke_ the same way. _Everything_ about them was identical. He briefly wondered if Envy had been watching them all _that_ much or if it was somehow just part of his 'talent'. To be able to copy someone completely just by watching from afar was incredible. _Wait a minute…from afar…_ Then he realized it: _They don't smell the same._ It sounded ridiculous even to him, but that was the only difference he could think of. Roy always wore a specific scent, while Envy either couldn't copy scents, or just didn't know it, having, he assumed, never been in close quarters with the real person. In fact, Envy smelled like nothing at all. Not even just that basic human skin smell. His clothes had no scent-not of laundry detergent or sweat. When he really thought about it, it was the most peculiar thing he had ever come across. _Everything_ had a unique smell, didn't it?

"Are you paying attention, Full Metal?"

"Uh…not really." He admitted sheepishly.

He frowned, easily annoyed by the boy's short attention span at nearly five in the morning. "I _said_…it seems to me that he was using you to gather information. He knew about our 'thing', as you so elaborately described it, which is proof enough that he set up that meeting. I can't say that I know what purpose it served, unless he thought he would learn something from it. Apparently he didn't feel that it did the trick, since he took it further, even though we were aware of his presence…a bold move. He's not worried in the least." He was tempted to sink further into the warm leather. "And then you told him _everything_…"

Ed blinked. "Hey, I'd like to see you tell us apart if he decided to be me!"

Roy quirked a brow. "Doesn't he have too much body mass? How could he turn into a little-"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A BEAN SO SMALL THAT EVEN SHAPE-SHIFTERS CAN'T COPY HIM?!"

The other alchemist covered his ears. "Ugh, cut it out. Where do you get the energy?"

The blond narrowed his eyes. "I'm not an _old man_." He sat back down, as he had sprung from his seat for his little outburst. "In any case, his real form is…well…what he normally looks like…is a bit shorter than you." He eyed the Colonel. "…and a lot skinnier." _COme to think of it…that time…when I pushed him out of Scar's reach…I didn't think of it then, but…he was so light._

"Are you calling me fat, Full Metal?"

He grinned mischievously, pushing the thoughts out of his head. "Would it piss you off if I did?"

"…I'm not answering that. And don't call me old. I'm still in my twenties…"

"Are we done here?"

Roy sat up at last. "We may as well be. Your information was lacking detail and seemed to be missing something…which means we can only take it at face value. It will be extremely difficult to determine his motives from this alone. There're too many possibilities…you're a horrible story teller."

_I wonder what would have happened…if everyone hadn't shown up at that moment._ "I'm going to bed, then…" _Would Envy have…? He was…leaning closer…_

Roy watched the boy stand up and head for the door. He hadn't reacted to his comment at all, and it troubled the older man. _He's probably just exhausted…this has been one of the longest days of my life. Except for…the war…_ He didn't want to think about it anymore. "…sleep well, Full Metal."

Ed waved slightly and disappeared, replaying his encounter with Envy over and over again in his head.

Not long afterwards, Maes entered the room. "So, give me all the details!"

"…" He felt more exhausted just thinking about repeating all of it.

"C'mon now, Roy! How can you lose all your steam after an encounter like that? And why did that meeting have to be private anyway? Then you wouldn't have had to repeat it all to me. Wouldn't that have been the thing to do?"

He sighed, crossing his arms over his desk and laying his head atop them. "There were a few details that had to do with a talk that I had with him earlier today, that's all. Nothing really significant. How about I just touch on the major points with you and go to sleep?"

"That's fine, I guess…just don't leave anything out." Hughes plopped into a chair and took out his notebook and pen, stopping a moment to yawn. "Okay, shoot."

_I didn't tell Edward all of my concerns…but it's probably best that way, for now._ "My main trepidation is that his story seemed to have some holes in it…"

"Holes?"

"Mm. You know…gaps. It seemed like too short a conversation between the two for it to have taken such a long amount of time."

The detective took a moment to clean a spot off his glasses. "You think he's hiding something?"

"I don't see why he would…but the possibility exists." He took a deep breath. "Anyway…we're certain this homunculus set up the events that happened earlier in the day. From his fight, we assume he can't do alchemy…however, the arm he lost seems to still be in tact."

"How's _that_ possible…?"

"How should I know?" He was easily irritated by the question. "From what Full Metal said…I think he was trying to gather information…and he got it, too."

Hughes frowned. "How much…?"

"He knows we're going to Central and he knows when. If he didn't already know, he's now sure that the Elric brothers are looking for the Philosopher's stone. He encouraged him to research the homunculi…the only thing I can think of is that it was a delay tactic. Whatever plans they have…if he spends time looking for information on them, they could put those things into motion in that time. They need him for _something_…that much is obvious. Otherwise, he'd be dead. But as for what that something is…" _That homunculus bastard was mocking me…I'll turn him into ash next time we meet._

Hughes shrugged. "There's no way to know. What else?"

"That's it."

"That's _it_?" He echoed in disbelief.

"That's all Full Metal would tell me." He corrected.

Hughes scratched the back of his head. "There's definitely something missing then. I wonder if he'd tell Al?"

"Mm…" He agreed sleepily.

"I wonder if we should really go to Central, then…well, we can't exactly just call up the Fuhrer and tell him 'Oh, we can't go to Central HQ because some homunculus are onto us, and we need to avoid them at all costs!' This has to be kept secret for now or we could be in some real trouble…the only thing I can really say about this is that if he's essential to their plan, then we still have time to figure something out. We probably haven't seen the last of this shady 'Envy' guy…and, unfortunately, the more contact we have with him, the better it'll be. When we're trying to catch a murderer…it's sad, but…the more people he's killed, the easier it is to figure out his next move and catch him. Right now we don't have enough clues to really come to any solid conclusion…if all else fails, we could always handcuff you and Ed together! Let's see him copy _that_! Haha…ha…Roy?"

Sure enough, the raven haired man had long ago fallen asleep during his friend's rambling.

Hughes pouted. "You never listen to me! What am I going to do with you?" He curled up on the couch. "Well, if we have to go to Central, we can at least mix it up for him…we'll leave tomorrow. Course, if he's watching us _that_ closely…" And eventually, his own thoughts and rambling put him to sleep.

* * *

The one essential thing that they had not considered, when scrutinizing Envy's remarks under their magnifying glass of complexity, was that maybe he didn't do it as part of any kind of magnificent scheme or because of any specific, plan-oriented orders. That, perhaps, he was simply making it up as he went along. That even if he was beginning to formulate a plan, he neither knew nor really cared how it would pan out in the end, as long as certain events took place. Because maybe…just _maybe_…he had started it all because…he was _bored_.


	3. Chapter 3

Okay, I have read this chapter over a hundred times and absolutely _refuse_ to do so _again_-erm, hi! Yes, it's me. That person that appears here every once in a while to add chapters. I'm really sorry that it's been so long guys, and I hope you haven't forgotten me. -sadness- More me-ish things are posted on my profile, should you find yourself feeling curious at all. Other than that, suffice it to say that "times is hard." -shot for Sweeny Todd reference- Anyway, I love you all and dedicate this chapter to all of you that review and give me support! (Don't worry, I'll still reply to reviews individually like always. I'm no celebrity. Though if you REALLY want an autographed picture of me as a reply to each of your letters, I suppose I could...kidding. XD) This chapter has bugged me for days! I wanted to post it April 30th, which would mean three different updates from me in one month(which I haven't done in like...years, probably) but I started getting dizzy around 4 AM and had to call it a night(so technically it was May 1st by then, but still). And then I intended to post it yesterday...but it felt so _boring_. That ever happen to you guys? You write a chapter, then reread it and it just...sucks? I had to do something about it! So I added a lot, and then I had to go through and change a lot of things to work with what I added and it got quite...um...long. So I hope you guys enjoy it! I was going to wait for my sis to read it over to make sure it actually kinda works(because I'm worried about that for once), but it just felt really wrong to start working on another story's update when I hadn't posted this one yet. Forgive me if it still sucks...I tried to make it better, at least. That said, I want to hear your opinions! Don't be afraid to review or drop me a line, guys!

General Story Note: I dunno if you guys had picked up on the weirdest thing about this story...but if you took a FMA time line(either from the anime or manga, though till the manga ends I'm sticking to the anime plot, fyi)...this story would never fit! I mean, aside from the whole cussing and EnvyxEd love, of course. Haha, I'm talking about the general...uh...plot. Am I making any sense? They had their fight with Scar, got saved by Roy(sort of) in the rain...but they never met Marcoh. Envy knew about Marcoh's book. Crazy things like that. Even I'm not sure how it'll all fit together in the end. It might just be a big mess. But just for anyone wondering where exactly we are in the grand scheme of the anime plot...well, I don't really know. Around where (episode....16ish? maybe?) they sneak into the abandonded lab five. For now. But it'll start getting really nuts after this and go further and further from the anime, I think. A few general things may still end up happening. Maybe. We'll see. Sorry about that. Read on!

_

* * *

_

_Chapter Three_

It had only been an hour or two before the brothers were awakened again and forced to gather their things. Luckily, Ed had never unpacked them after their ruined escape, so no thinking at all was required as Hughes pushed them out to a black military car. He had briefly explained the situation to them and they had sleepily agreed that it was fine to leave for Central City a day early. After all, as Ed had whispered to his brother last night, whether there was really anything for them to look up at the library or not, they had to treat it like a serious lead.

It really bothered the blond to think about his encounter with Envy. What were the homunculi trying to do? Why give him information? Better yet, why save him from Scar? It didn't make sense at all. He leaned his head against the glass window of the train with a sigh, not even quite sure how he had made it all the way on and into his seat in the first place. They were in a special military personnel cart and Mustang's grumpy face, he mused, did not make for good scenery. Being the kind hearted soul that he was, Al had switched with him for the window seat. The city scene had disappeared rapidly and now he stared out as trees whipped by. Deciding that Envy's teasing closeness that night had simply been something the creepy being thought the Colonel would do made it easier to dismiss in his mind and he refused to think of it ever again as he fell asleep…only to end up dreaming of the green haired homunculus anyway.

* * *

Meanwhile, Envy was staked out right above said military cart, flat on his back with his hands behind his head, staring at the grey overcast sky. _Why…did I almost…? _He thought again of how he had leaned so close to the small alchemist, somehow drawn into golden eyes. _He looked so…weak, trying his hardest to protest._

"_Am I making you nervous…__**Edward**__?"_

"_I…uh…we…agreed that…"_

_Weak…_He smirked for a moment, but it fell away just as quickly. _A human's biggest, most pathetic weakness is…love. If you have what they love, you have __**total**__ control._ It was a rather pleasing idea to him: having complete control over Edward Elric. _What does he treasure most…? There's the blonde chick-no, not her. _She didn't seem like the right answer, and even if she was, he didn't feel like going all that way just to try and drag around a kicking and screaming girl. That, he decided, would totally ruin any fun he might get out of it. The easiest answer would be the shorty's tin can brother, but he had long ago decided to save that for last. It would be the final thing to bring down the Great Edward Elric. Destroying the blood seal that bound Alphonse's soul to the armor would doubtlessly make the little bastard _beg_ for death. _Who, then…? I'd say that stupid Colonel, but he'd be even more difficult to capture, and I have a feeling that the little twerp would __**thank**__ me instead._ It really ticked him off that, aside from ruining his fun early, he could find no really _good_ weakness to prey upon. This really only left one option, as he sure as hell wouldn't pass up the opportunity to hold such power over the person he hated most: he'd have to _make_ a weakness for Edward Elric. The 'how' was the problem in this equation and he growled quietly, getting irritated with himself. _That could take months. And what if it didn't really fool him? It's too…risky. I don't half-ass my __**own**__ plans, after all._ He sighed, about ready to give up, when an interesting idea popped into his mind. _What if…__**I**__ became his weakness?_ He had to laugh at himself. It was utterly ridiculous and would never work, he was sure of that. Still, it would nag him for hours to come.

_

* * *

_

Ed suddenly felt rather ill. He didn't know why, and he had never gotten sick on trains before. Without a word of warning to anyone, he stood and exited the cart. This lead him outside, to the space between carts. The tracks rattled noisily beneath the heavy train and he stared down as the ground passed by so quickly, making him feel a bit more nauseous. Quickening his pace, he fled through the regular passenger cars, nearly knocking down one of the staff. Finally throwing open the last door, he hung himself over the railing and shut his eyes, waiting to just let it all come up. After what seemed like hours of deep concentration, the feeling eased…and he realized that someone had been rubbing his back. He jerked away from the offending hand and looked up at its owner. Mustang frowned at him, as if unhappy that he wasn't being thanked for his services. "H-How long…have you been here?" Was all he could manage, breathlessly.

"_A while…" He admitted, leaning his elbows on the thin metal bar. He seemed to have no problem watching as the colorful scenery whipped by._

_There was silence for quite some time before Ed could collect the courage to turn away from the seemingly sorrowful face, whose eyes appeared too dark and lonely to be gazing out at such a vivid sunset. "Well, I'm heading back-"_

_But a gentle, ungloved hand had taken hold of his sleeve before he could open the door and escape. "Wait."_

"_I-"_

"…_please."_

_Any fight he might have summoned up was drained from his spirit instantly. "Is, uh…something wrong?"_

"_We…"_

_Ed frowned up at him. "I told you, I don't want to talk about that. Let's just forget it already-"_

"_Stop running away!" He yelled suddenly, causing the younger alchemist to flinch. "Pretending it never happened won't make this go away. If you don't want to be treated like a child, you had better stop acting like one."_

"_I'm __**not**__ a-"_

"_**Adults**__ know that problems don't solve themselves. You have to talk about them…these things don't just magically fix themselves. You can't do absolutely nothing and expect that everything will come out alright in the end. Only people who have the courage to step up and __**do**__ something ever really get what they want out of life. Don't you understand…?"_

_The blond averted his eyes. "…I guess…I mean…" He tried to swallow around the lump that had seemed to form in his throat. "But there's really nothing to talk about…right? We decided that…we…"_

_Without warning, Roy grabbed him by his shoulders and roughly shoved him up against the thin train cart wall. Leaning close, he growled. "This is what you want, isn't it?" But the voice wasn't his, and in the blink of an eye, it was no longer the Colonel holding him there._

_He had meant to yell out, to retaliate, but the knee firmly asserted between his legs produced a hitch in his thoughts. "…E-Envy. What are you-"_

"_Don't act like you don't know." He whispered in the blond's ear before nipping it none too gently._

"_Ah!" Ed jumped at the contact. "Let me go! I-"_

_Amethyst eyes narrowed into a nasty glare. "__**Shut up**__. What, is only that bastard good enough? Fuck you."_

_He could only stare, wide-eyed and confused. 'What…the hell…?'_

_But thought was no longer possible as Envy kissed him roughly, his tongue easily forcing entrance into the other's mouth. The kiss ended with a little bite to his lower lip before the homunculus unexpectedly latched onto his neck, sucking like a vampire._

_Ed couldn't stop the soft moan that escaped his lips. He definitely **didn't** want this, and he need to get away **fast**…and yet…_

The small alchemist awoke with a loud gasp, his heart racing. Al and Roy stared at him and it was all he could do to fly from his seat and exit the cart into the bright morning light before keeling over on the foot wide platform between train parts. He heaved desperately, almost hyperventilating. He wanted to just throw up already, but he couldn't seem to manage it. He was nauseated, disturbed and utterly disgusted…and yet his pants felt just a little too tight for his liking. _Because of…_ "…Envy…" He mumbled aloud and the realization made him _sick_. _Oh my God…this is so…so…there isn't even a word for it! Ugh…_ He sat there catching his breath for a long time before feeling that it was safe to return. He entered quietly and plopped into his chair without offering any explanation.

"Nii-san, are you okay…? You look flushed…do you have a fever?" Al went to touch his brother's forehead, only to have his armored hand smacked away.

"I-I'm fine!" He turned as far towards the window as he could, resting his head against the cool glass once more. "Don't touch me…" He mumbled, willing himself to try and fall back asleep before he could be asked anymore questions. _**Flushed**__…? Oh, shoot me…_

Roy and Al gave each other confused looks before letting it drop. The raven haired alchemist respectfully made no further inquiries, but couldn't help wondering about it all the same. He had intended to follow the alchemist out, but the younger brother had stopped him, saying that it was probably best to give him a minute, since he hadn't looked well.

_Did you have a nightmare, nii-san? About mom, maybe…? I don't have to sleep, but…when I choose to, sometimes…I can see it again. That thing we created…that was supposed to be mom. I guess that's something…we can never forget. But maybe, someday, after we've made things right…maybe we can forgive ourselves for it. Just hold on, nii-san. It'll be alright._

* * *

Lust and Gluttony had disappeared some hours before Envy without a word, and it made him wonder. _What's that human saying…? 'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.' Hm._ In fact, he noted that they had taken off right after his conversation with her, which meant that either she had just gone on ahead or…

"_I foresee this plan failing before it can even begin…because of __**you**__"_

"_Whoop-de-fucking-do. What are you, a psychic? You gonna go tell 'daddy' or something?"_

"_You…could care less if we ever get the Philosopher's Stone." _

"_Got that right. You wanna make the mistake of becoming one of the very same pathetic little creatures you despise, you go right ahead and do it. But count me __**out**__."_

"_I…see." _

"…"

"_Then I'll carry out our plans without you. Unless your specific skills are needed, I…now know better than to waste my time."_

…_she wants to get rid of me._ He decided. _I don't share her little goals and pathetic ideals…well, 'that person' has just about as much luck taking me out as Lust does, so it doesn't matter. I believe that's 'his' job, anyway, and 'he' would never let them do it. Who even knows where 'he' is…? By the time 'he' gets wind of this, it will be far too late. _A malicious little smirk crept onto his face before disappearing just as quickly as the rain began to fall, dripping onto his face annoyingly. He curled up on his side and sighed loudly. _I hate you, Edward Elric. I'll get rid of you, no matter how long it takes. Unlike the rest of these fools…my remains are long gone. I can still die, but my ultimate weakness no longer exists. I'm as close to perfection as they come. _Envy scowled darkly, staring at nothing in particular as they raced along. His hair was whipping around in the wind and, deciding that it was far too irritating, he shortened it considerably for the moment without much thought. He could have snuck on as a passenger, but to hell if he felt like pretending to be one of them now. He briefly wondered if the small alchemist would take his advice about the library, but dismissed it just as quickly. It didn't matter. _If he won't look it up, I'll steal it and put it straight into his hands if I have to. I guess getting such a thing from __**me**__ would make him question the truth of it…whatever, it doesn't matter. He better figure it out on his own. If I have to spell it out for him, I'm gonna be pissed. Genius alchemist my ass. _He almost sighed again and it ticked him off. He didn't like thinking as much as he liked _doing_. _For not being human, Lust is pretty hypocritical…I'll have to find the connection between her and scarface. _He yawned, getting so bored with making plans. _I'd never seen him before until he appeared not long ago, killing alchemists. So he probably has some connection to the past that she pathetically won't let go of. _"Heh, maybe _I'm_ the hypocritical one…" _Now to figure out how to use it against her._

Envy heard the door fly open and he sat up quickly, somewhat worried that he'd been found out. Then there was someone coughing in-between short and panicked breaths. Purely out of curiosity, he crawled to the edge and peered over, only to find none other than his worst enemy, who seemed to be sick…though he looked more embarrassed than anything. It was quite intriguing, and he couldn't help but sit there are stare down at him. Pushing him off the train and other equally evil things never even came to mind. Whenever he was alone and planning, it was quite simple to come up with all kinds of suitable ways to torture the little brat, most of them quite brutal. But whenever he found himself face to face with the one he hated most in the world, the one who, by some trick of fate, had done him an incredible wrong just by existing…all the plans he made seemed to fail him. And he really…_hated_ it.

"…Envy…" The whispered name was barely heard by sensitive ears over the racket made by the train's metal wheels scraping their way over rusted rails.

He blinked. _…what?_ It made him feel strange inside and he scowled, unable to will it away. _Me…?_

* * *

It had seemed like the shortest train ride in Ed's life, which made sense since he had slept through practically the whole thing. He remembered that Al had momentarily woken him up to ask if he wanted something from the breakfast cart at some point, but couldn't even recall what his reply had been. Now fully rested, the blond wanted to get to Central Library more than anything, but he also knew that being over eager would probably give him away. However, he had decided that, most importantly, he needed a really good distraction. Whether the book existed or not, some research, he hoped, would clear his head. Hawkeye, who had traveled there days before on business, was waiting for them and chauffeured the bunch to Central City HQ to set up their small dorm. Ed didn't bother to unpack, not knowing what might happen next, if anything. In a matter of minutes, he was called to the Colonel's new office.

He knocked before entering hesitantly. It made him nervous to be alone with the man again, but tried his best not to show it. The blond noted that this office really didn't look much different from the previous one, and it was kind of comforting in some strange way. "…you called?"

"Mm." Was the only reply he got. Roy sat in his new leather chair, staring out at the rain. He had been plagued by thoughts of some freak that looked just like him running wild, ruining his life…and he hadn't gotten much sleep at all because of it, especially with the added bonus of the boy's puzzlingly strange behavior on the train. Not that he would tell Ed that.

"…did you want something or not?"

He sighed loudly. "This game again?" He turned the chair around to face his desk and rested his elbows on it so his hands could hold his sleepy head up. "Three guesses why I called you here, first two don't count."

_Are you…talking about…_The young alchemist frowned, getting nervous. "Stop screwing around-"

"I'm not." He answered seriously. "If you _don't_ know why you're here, I'd say we have quite a problem, wouldn't you?"

He scratched the back of his head innocently and looked elsewhere. "Look, we're not going to run off…"

"Is that so? You seemed quite adamant about continuing your search for the Philosopher's Stone when we spoke before. Do you expect me to believe that you've changed your mind?"

"What if I…quit the military?" He hadn't seriously thought about it, but it was probably the only way he'd ever be able to go do as he pleased.

Mustang did not look impressed. "Good luck with that. Don't you know anything? You signed a contract with the military. You renew that contract every time assessment day comes around. You would be able to quit at that time, if you pleased…but that isn't for months. Aside from that, you would probably have to do something utterly ridiculous in order to get yourself discharged, considering that your abilities are so sought after. It's not everyday that you meet someone who is, apparently, _so_ talented that they have a band of homunculi chasing after them." He narrowed his eyes. "Or perhaps you're just digging too far into something you shouldn't."

"That's…" Ed didn't know what to do and fiddled with his sleeve. "That's none of your business."

The raven haired alchemist stood suddenly, getting irritated. "Like hell. As far as I'm concerned, you dragged me into this the moment that _thing_ wore my face. From now on, you'd better share any information you get. If you see that thing, or any of the others, you better damn well say so. If I find you to be hiding anything, you'll be disciplined accordingly." He rather liked the word '_accordingly_'. It could induce fear into most men, since it promised harsh punishment, but never told you quite _how_ harsh. The wondering was usually enough to keep them up at night and prevent future mistakes. Edward, however, didn't seem to care either way and it was rather irritating. He composed himself and sat again, too tired to argue anymore. "I don't trust that you won't run, either, for that matter. You are now to make me aware of anywhere you go outside of these grounds. If your _sneeze_ so much as passes through those gates without my permission I'll have you detained _indefinitely_. Understand?" _I'm not going to fuck around with this. Until I know what's going on, I'm not taking any chances. This doesn't concern just you anymore. And, hell, even if it did…_

The blond slammed his hands down on the desk and leaned across it, sneering darkly at the older man. "Go to hell." Having nothing more to say to someone he hated so much, he turned and stalked off for the door.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"To the _library_, if that's alright with you, your highness!" He opened the door and just before he could disappear through it, a softened voice stopped him.

"…you're going to look them up, just like it told you to." _What if…you're just playing into his hand?_ _Should I have someone tail you? No…I have a better idea._

Without answering, Ed slammed the door shut and went to fetch Al. He didn't know why he was doing what Envy said. By all accounts, it didn't make sense. Envy had made it perfectly clear that he wanted nothing more than to kill him. _What the hell is going on…?_

Still, Roy had also hoped to speak with him about the incident in his office the day before, which had seemed to start all of this. However, it seemed best that he figure out his own feelings on it first before potentially making things worse. After all, from Ed's description of his conversation with Envy, it sounded like the blond wanted absolutely nothing to do with him. He decided to blame this on Envy, cursing the creepy homunculus and deciding that he would destroy him no matter what.

Said 'creep' climbed back onto the roof with ease after listening to their conversation. It hadn't been hard for Envy to slip past all the guards and the only roof security was a motion sensor that had long since been shut off. Apparently, birds had chosen to nest there and continuously set it off until the humans had gotten sick of it. This left the roof predictably unguarded and considering that most people never seemed to look up, it had become his favorite hideout. He clenched his fists and paced around. _'Thing'? 'It'? What the hell! _He didn't really know what to call himself either, besides homunculus, but didn't see why 'he' wouldn't work out perfectly fine-or his name, for that matter. _Well, title. That's not my name._ Not that he could remember what his real name was, and as far as he was concerned, that wasn't _his_ name anyway. He'd choose a new one for himself, someday. Sure, he could fake being a female, but his real self had been born male and he had been made the same way. He hardly remembered what he _really_ looked like anymore, but he enjoyed the delicate features he had chosen for his permanent, 'real' form. He didn't think it impugned on his masculinity at all, though he didn't really consider that Mustang had never seen his regular form. It just ticked him off. He briefly wondered if there would ever be a time when he would be called by a name; a time when he wouldn't be treated like a monster. He scowled and waved the offending thoughts away, trying to focus on what to do next.

Central City was his least favorite of all places on the planet. It had, for many years, been the home of Pride, the military's Fuhrer. He was the only homunculus ever made that could age…and Envy wondered if he would randomly die someday or just keep getting older and crustier until the end of time. It was a rather disturbing thought to him. On top of that annoyance, he had heard that a new homunculus, dubbed Sloth, had been made and would also be in the city as Pride's secretary. That made things even more dangerous and complicated for him since he'd never exactly been a favorite with anyone. Although he had hated Greed for being…well, greedy, he had rather admired that the punk had done what he wanted even though it lead to his destruction. The guy had also ended up with a set of loyal followers somehow and it helped to prolong his fun a bit before he was sealed. Envy didn't care to work with anyone, as useful as it might've been. But perhaps, this time, he would make an exception. With a few good body shields and a deal more brains than Greed had possessed, Envy was sure he could pull something off.

Lust had said that Sloth was the bean boy's creation, and ever since he had been trying to decide how to use that to his advantage. In an ideal world, he would be able to use the small alchemist to get rid of her and expose Pride. 'That person's' ultimate downfall would mean that he could do as he liked, but he had his doubts about the boy's ability. He was relieved that the brat had taken his advice and headed for Central Library, but he didn't have the time to play with him right now. He was sure that the pipsqueak would be fine if left to his own devices for a while. For now, he would fish for information elsewhere.

* * *

Sheska was more than your average, everyday bookworm and Colonel Roy Mustang knew it. Thus he had spoken to her on the phone when Ed left his office, insisting that she help the blond out and keep an eye on him. Then she was to report it all back to him the moment the boy left her sight. It didn't feel right to her, but there was nothing she could do. If she didn't follow the order, she'd probably be docked pay or worse. She needed what she could get to send home to her sick mother, and he had promised that she would receive a nice little bonus for the job.

Ed had wanted to take his brother along, but Al had refused in favor of walking the grounds.

"_Don't you think we're in enough trouble, nii-san? The Colonel isn't stupid…maybe we should lay low for a while."_

But laying low had never been Ed's style. He had gone anyway, promising to let his brother know if he found anything of interest. _I just…have to know._ He stopped at the bottom of the concrete stairs leading up to the structure and stared at it as if it might fall down at any moment. _What if…this book really exists? What if I…really do get a tip on the Philosopher's Stone from it? What then? Is it a trap?_ It was so confusing, it almost made him angry.

"_Consider this…an apology." _Envy had said. Did it mean something? Did it not? _What the hell are your intentions, Envy…?_ Deciding that it was pointless to think about without enough information, he sighed and entered the age old building.

About five steps in, the back of his coat was grabbed. "Children are not allowed here!" A booming voice scolded.

"I'm a state alchemist! Let me go!" He struggled for a moment before suddenly being released, which caused him to fall flat on his face.

"Edward Elric!" Before the boy could answer he was lifted clear off the ground and squeezed tightly in Armstrong's grasp. "My mistake!"

"C-Can't…breathe…"

"Say, where is the younger Elric brother? Where is Alphonse?" Releasing the poor blond at last, Ed crumpled right back onto the ground.

After regaining his composure, he stood and dusted himself off. "He didn't want to come. But we'll be stuck here for a while-why don't you go see him?" He tried.

"Hm, perhaps another day, little Elric."

"LITTLE?! Why, you-"

"I'm afraid I have to go to the east for a time before I can return here."

Ed calmed himself. _East? That's where we came from. I wonder if they're sending him to go investigate. Hughes wasn't able to come with us, either._ "Yeah, well, don't be surprised if we're _still_ here by the time you get back."

"Oh, I doubt that! It could be quite some time…" He began sparkling, his shirt suddenly gone as he flexed his muscles, which really had nothing at all to do with the topic at hand. "And you two never stay in one place for long! Your brotherly love will live on forever as you journey! It can conquer anything! It's _magnificent_!"

"S-Shut up! This is a library! You have to be _quiet_!"

It was impossible for Sheska to miss Ed's grand entrance. After he was done with the oversized alchemist, she approached him carefully. "H-Hello, sir…do you need any help today?"

He seemed to consider it for a moment before smiling. "Not really. Thanks anyway, um…"

"Sheska. My name's Sheska." She returned the smile. "Well, um…if you change your mind, let me know, okay?"

He nodded and walked away, diving straight into the reference cards.

Sitting back at her desk, she tried to watch him. Taking notes wasn't necessary for her, as she could easily remember things about books. So well, in fact, that she could reproduce entire works down to the very last word. Mustang had come upon this by once requesting a book that was out of print. The library's only copy had been lost by someone, but in the hopes of some kind of promotion, she had told him of her ability. He had suckered her into making him a free copy with his charms, but upon finding that she really did have a talent, he had slipped her some money for her services.

Still, she couldn't understand why such a cute and seeming innocent young man was being watched by the Colonel-a state alchemist, at that. Her money on the line, she watched him for roughly three hours before he checked out a single book and left.

A little nervous, she phoned Mustang immediately, as instructed. "Um, this is Sheska, sir. Edward Elric has exited the library now…"

"And?"

"Well, there are several books he looked at, sir, though he only took one with him…"

There was a pause. "I see. Then I want all of the books he looked at and a copy of the one he chose to hold onto."

_All of them?!_ "B-But!"

"Don't worry, you'll be rewarded adequately. I expect the copy by tomorrow afternoon."

"I-I-um…" But it was too late-he had hung up. In a daze, she hastily scurried through the library, gathering the stack of some twenty books he had looked at in his time there. She piled them on the counter with a sigh. "I…I need to check these out…for Co-um…" For some reason, it didn't seem like a good idea to sign them out in Mustang's name. She wasn't sure why. "Um, for myself, of course." She laughed nervously.

The older woman looked at her strangely. "…all of them?"

"Uh…yes…all of them, please…"

"I see…" And from the look on the woman's face, she knew what she was thinking: _bookworm_. She had never enjoyed the nickname she often got from her peers.

When the task was completed she carefully balanced the stack and grabbed her bag. "I have to go."

"What? Sheska!" But she was already on her way out.

For the rest of the night she sat at her typewriter, spelling out each and every word as quickly as she could. She silently kissed her sleep goodbye, stuck with such an awful job. Even so, she really had to wonder what was going on. It was none of her business, but from all the books the alchemist had looked at, the one he took home was of the least interest…at least, she thought so. _It doesn't seem like Mr. Elric's type of book, even…well, I guess that just goes to show you! But why is Colonel Mustang so interested in his desire…to learn how to cook?_ She eventually gave up thinking about it and focused on the task at hand.

* * *

Ed had practically sprinted all the way back to their dorm. He threw the door open. "Al, I-" He blinked, realizing that the room was empty. _Is he still wandering around?_ He closed the door behind him and grabbed paper and a pen before sitting on the small couch. He sprawled his things over the coffee table and ran his fingers over the cover. _Today's Menu, 1000 Dishes_ by Tim Marcoh. To anyone else, it looked like an ordinary cookbook. But to an experienced alchemist…it was an encrypted research notebook, full of secrets. He hoped he wasn't imagining it and looking for something that wasn't there, but when he thought about it, even if it had been a stall tactic by Envy, why? Why this book, of all the books in existence? There had to be _something_ in it, and he would find out, no matter what.

It was several hours before Al reappeared. "Nii-san, you're back? I was sure you'd be gone all day…" He noticed the book and the dozens of sheets written on by his brother. "Huh? What's all of this?"

Ed looked up, relieved that he had finally come back. "Where have you been, Al? That must have been some walk."

"Uh…well, there was this kitty, and I felt sorry for it…" He lied, not wanting Ed to know what he had really been up to.

The blond narrowed his eyes. "You better not have brought it here."

"I-I didn't!" He put his hands up defensively and tried changing the subject, taking a seat next to him. "So this is the book Envy told you about…?"

He went along with it easily, not thinking anything of it. "Mm. It _looks_ like a book full of recipes, but-"

"But it's a code!" Al looked it over carefully. "I think this will be really hard, nii-san…we'll need a lot of dictionaries and reference books…"

Ed nodded with a frown. "I think I can get you into the library, so let's work on a list of things to look up now and go tomorrow."

"Nii-san…" Al said seriously. "You _do_ realize we can't trust this, right? I mean, a homunculus told us about it!"

"I know…" He looked off towards the wall. _I…don't understand your intentions. Not at all. _"That's why, when we're finished…if this is something big, we'll go see this Marcoh for ourselves! We can ask him and then we'll know for sure."

_That's assuming he's still alive…_ "Okay, nii-san. If you think we should do this…then we'll do it!" His scientific mind got the best of him in the end. "If this is really a lead, we can't just pass it up, right?"

"Right!"

* * *

Many hours later, well into the night, Ed had finally fallen asleep. They had come up with dozens of pages full of things to look up and it seemed that it would probably take them days to find anything at all-if there _was_ anything to find. Al still wasn't so sure.

Earlier in the day, he had run into a work-avoiding Colonel, who had been rather surprised to see him.

"_You're still here, Alphonse? I was sure you would have gone with Full Metal to the library."_

_Al had been examining the little fountain and turned around, seemingly embarrassed-as if caught doing something he shouldn't. "Oh, Colonel! I um…didn't really feel like going."_

"_Is that so?" He took it at face value, sitting on the fountain's edge with a sigh. After a long pause, he decided to ask. "Full Met…Edward…really hates me, doesn't he?"_

"_Nii-san?" He sat down beside the man with a clank. "I don't think so."_

_Roy quirked a brow. "Could've fooled me."_

_Al laughed a little, softly. "Nii-san…well, he doesn't like taking orders from anyone. You keep telling him what to do and pointing it out when he screws up, so…it's natural that he'd keep getting mad at you, isn't it?"_

"_Heh, when you put it that way, I suppose…" He rested his elbows on his knees lazily. "Still, I know he understands why I make these decisions, yet I feel like he's keeping things from me. If you two would be a little more trusting, your journey would probably be far less trying."_

"_Mm." The suit of armor agreed. "But nii-san would never ask for help, especially not from you. When you offer it, he usually takes it, but…I don't think he'll ever just ask you."_

"_I see…" He seemed to consider it. "Any particular reason why that is, aside from his undying hatred for me?"_

"_Hmm…" Al tried to think of how to explain it in such a way that wouldn't offend his brother, should he ever hear of it. "I can't say for sure, but…I think he already feels indebted to you, Colonel. After all, you're the one who got us this far in the first place. Nii-san doesn't want to burden anyone else with our problems, especially people he feels he already owes a lot to…"_

"_Well, surely you could persuade him…"_

"_I don't know…"_

"_I have faith in your abilities, Alphonse. The next time you find yourselves in trouble, don't be afraid to let me know. I'll do what I can, within reason."_

"_Thank you, sir…" 'Easier said than done, with nii-san.'_

_He waved it off and stood. "Well, I suppose I should head on back. Enjoy your afternoon."_

_It only took him a moment to make up his mind. 'He's not like you always say he is, nii-san…not at all.' "Uh-Colonel-wait!" He jogged briefly to catch up to him._

"_Hm?" He turned around. _

"_There…well, there is something I wanted to ask you…" At the man's nod, he continued. "Have you heard of someone named…Tim Marcoh?"_

_Roy's eyes widened at the name, betraying his natural feeling to lie on the subject. Al was definitely the last person he ever expected to mention it. He looked left and right before turning away. "Follow me. We can't speak of this here."_

"_O-Okay…" 'So he really knows?' _

_Once safely shut up in his office, Roy stared out the windows. Although it had rained before, it had turned into a rather beautiful day. "Tim Marcoh, huh…? He was a doctor during the Ishbal war…he healed wounds with alchemy. From what I understand, he was doing top secret research for the military…but what he found must have frightened him severely. He disappeared after that and no one has seen him since." 'He doesn't need to know that…__**I'm**__ the one who helped him escape.' _

"_I see…" 'So he really did find out something…? About the Philosopher's Stone? Does that mean the military wanted it? Why?'_

"_He's considered a coward who ran away from battle…no one speaks of him anymore and all his records have been erased, to my knowledge. So, now I'd like to ask…" He turned around slowly, a dark frown on his face. "…exactly how it is you know his name."_

"_I…um…that is…" The look caught him off guard. He hadn't intended to reveal anything else, but rather just to try and find out if the book's source was reliable._

"_Alphonse…he's hiding something from me, isn't he?"_

"_Uh…" He would have gulped in his state of nervousness if he could._

"_Equivalent exchange: I told you what you wanted to know, so how about you return the favor?"_

_He rubbed the back of his helmet timidly. "Well…" 'Nii-san's going to kill me if he finds out!' "The truth is…Envy told us…to look up a specific book."_

_Mustang was a little worried now. "Envy?"_

"_He said the author was Tim Marcoh. When he was being you, he told nii-san that it would help us, and…that he should take it as an apology."_

"_Apology?" He echoed, narrowing his eyes. "For what?" 'I don't really like where this is going…'_

"_We don't know." Al admitted. "I wondered if we could trust the book, but from what you said…it sounds like he was onto something."_

'_If what he found could so deeply disturb a grown man, what will happen to these kids…?' "I wouldn't count on it. He seemed desperate and delusional. Even so, how could his research notes have slipped by the higher ups…?"_

"_I don't know…until nii-san gets back, I won't know anything."_

"_I see…thank you, Alphonse. I appreciate your honesty. Whatever you find…be careful. Don't forget that I am here." 'As much as I'd like to ask to keep on the receiving end of your information, I wouldn't ask you to continuously betray your brother's trust…so I guess this is as far as it goes.'_

"_Thank you, Colonel…I'm sorry for the trouble."_

"_Not at all."_

It had been a strange encounter, to be sure, but Al had decided that it certainly was worth looking into. The real problem was all the questions this situation generated. What's the military's real agenda? Are they planning to go to war once they get a philosopher's stone? Why? Is Marcoh still alive? Would he be willing to talk about it if he was? Would his notes lead them to the Philosopher's Stone? Why would Envy want that? Al almost wished the homunculus would appear so he could ask him. Not that Envy would answer. _You want to kill us, right…? So what are you doing?_

* * *

The following day, after a big lunch, the Elric brothers made their way to the library to research the things that would help them uncover Marcoh's code. Around that time, Sheska reported to Mustang's office with the giant stack of books and the copy he had requested. He looked it over with a smirk.

"Um, if I may ask, sir…"

He glanced up at her over the pile of books. "Yes?"

"…why are you so interested in that book? That is, uh-isn't it just…recipes?"

"This…" He held up the manuscript. "…may be far more than an ordinary cookbook. But I'm afraid that's all I can tell you at this time." He slipped her the envelope of money and promised to call again if he should find another job for her. She couldn't help but find the whole thing highly suspicious, but just kept reminding herself that it really wasn't any of her business.

* * *

"My, you've been busy here while I was gone…Envy."

He didn't turn around, perfectly fine with staring out over the ugly city from the steep roof of the library. "Busy? Whatever do you mean?" It had been nearly a week since he had come to Central City and he now merely followed the brothers around, waiting for them to figure it out. He hated waiting, but knew this way was best in order to get what he wanted.

Lust crossed her arms. "No need to hide it. It would seem you're useful after all. What you've done will actually help us this time."

The street lights turned on as the darkness of night set in. Envy narrowed his eyes. _How unfortunate._ "And how is that, exactly?"

"That book will reveal how the Philosopher's Stone is made, won't it? Even so, they won't give up. And if you play it just right this time, we can lead them directly to it. Right now, preparations at the abandoned fifth laboratory are nearly complete. We'll also need you to imitate someone higher up in the military in order to secure our sacrifices."

_The fifth lab is where Greed was sealed-not that you'd know that. But 'that person' should have remembered. She's the one that did it! Sacrifices…Chibi-san will never do it. Still, how can I prevent this? _"Can't Pride take care of that on his own?"

"You know he needs to avoid anything suspicious…" She watched as Ed and Al exited the library, seemingly exhausted. "Those brothers…will create the Philosopher's Stone."

Envy glanced up at her boredly. "I wouldn't be so sure of that if I were you."

This piqued her interest. "Oh?"

"He's an idiot. He'll never kill people, no matter what it'll get him." _Or what it'll cost him_. _Even though you want that stone more than anything…you don't know how to do what's necessary. How foolish…_

"We've already thought of that. The humans will be hidden in the room above. He won't even be aware of them…so with a few well-placed lies, he should have no reason to hesitate. He'll finish the incomplete transmutation circle, and we'll force him to make us human. After that, I don't care what he does with it."

_But 'that person' certainly does. Everyone has their own agenda here and yet we're all pretending to work together. How…__**interesting**__. _"Is that so?" Envy stood, ready to make his way back to the military building. "I'd hope you have some good leverage."

Lust followed him easily from roof to roof. "There aren't many way to enter the building; we seal them all but one that the suit of armor can't fit into. The Full Metal Alchemist will surely still proceed in on his own. From there, it will be easy to capture the other and use him. I told you, 'that person' thought this one out carefully."

_I see…this won't be easy for me, then. I'll have to go along with it and watch for anything I can take advantage of…_ "Who shall I be, then? That Colonel's men will listen to him easily enough…"

"No, not him. We won't be using soldiers for the sacrifices; that's too easily found out. We'll be using prisoners from the corrective facility right next to it. Besides…the Flame Alchemist may be useful to us if this doesn't work out."

_That guy? He'll be even less easily persuaded._ "Do you know why we have to keep stirring up wars every few decades, Lust?"

She watched him closely as he sat, dangling his legs off the edge lazily. "…"

"Because the individuals who are actually smart enough to be _able_ to make the Philosopher's Stone are usually too intelligent to _do_ it. But silly little humans sure have a way with changing their minds when things like war happen and their _feelings_ get involved. It'd be so much easier to use the most corrupt of State Alchemists, but they're not looking to sacrifice any part of themselves to do something like that. Funny thing is, it's the _smart_ ones…" Envy put his index finger to his head. "…who don't think about the exchange." He stuck his thumb up and made a fist, imitating a gun, before doing a small, jerking motion to indicate the gun going off. Then he laughed cheerfully. "These are the same idiots who attempt human transmutation and make freaks like _us._" He grinned up at her widely. "After all, every other transmutation they do simply takes a little energy-hardly noticeable. They figure as long as they have the materials, these things just _happen_! Silly, silly little humans. It's only when they try something big like that that they find out the truth about 'Equivalent Exchange'." The grin disappeared as he thought of a certain blond. "Yet Full Metal Bean doesn't seem to have figured that one out yet." _I wonder if you still sit there thinking 'Why didn't it work…? We had everything we needed…'. How pathetic. You think you were unsuccessful because it's __**taboo**__, because you were __**wrong**__. Well, you certainly were __**stupid**__. And you still haven't learned…_

_If that boy __**had**__ figured it out, this wouldn't work. _"Did 'he' teach you all of that?"

Envy snickered. "Don't be stupid. I can't do alchemy." '_He' taught that to…who I was supposed to be._

"…" _We can't trust you. If we didn't need your help this time, I would have been allowed to dispose of you at last. Well, all in good time. _"General Basq Gran has authority over the prisons in this city. You can use his form to get the prisoners. We're counting on you."

"Tsk, you sound so…_human_ when you say that. Well, whatever. I guess I'll do that now, while it's dark."

Lust frowned, watching him leave. _You'd better not fail us._

* * *

It had been nearly a month since then, and the brothers had shut themselves away in their dorm, working almost nonstop.

The Colonel had cut corners where ever possible to try and take time to crack the code, himself, without much luck. He had also attempted to get in touch with Marcoh, to no avail. It would seem that he had disappeared from the small town he had been hiding in, and not very long ago. The news disturbed Roy, but there wasn't anything he could do about it currently.

And Envy…was _bored._

Ed nearly jumped at the knock on their door. Glancing at Al briefly he called out. "Come in!"

Hawkeye entered with a small tray that held two cups of steaming tea. She paused briefly in the doorway, looking them over before coming all the way in and shutting the door. "Edward, Alphonse…where have you been all these weeks? I've hardly seen…" She looked down at their table, full of pages upon pages of notes. "Have you found something?"

The blond got a little worried. "Uh-"

She knelt down next to the table, moving some papers over before setting the tray down. "It looks complex…have you had any luck yet?"

Ed frowned. "First Lieutenant, please don't tell the Colonel about this…"

She blinked up at him before giving them a stern look. "Are you two looking into something dangerous again?"

"That's nobody's bus-"

Al nudged him and took over. "We just don't want either of you to worry. We're not doing anything right now, really. Just research. We hope it'll turn into a lead, but…"

"I see…" The look melted off her face and she smiled slightly. "Is there anything I can do?"

Al shrugged. "You're not an alchemist, right? So…probably not."

"Hm." She stood. "Then why not try asking the Colonel? He might be more help than you think. And if you're just doing research, I'm sure he won't be object to helping you-"

"We can't do that!" Ed jumped up, and in doing so, tripped over Al's enormous metal foot.

Hawkeye managed to catch him before he fell, an action that seemed rather suspicious in his mind. "Are you alright, Edward?"

She let go of him as he regained his balance and he frowned slightly. The feeling of it was familiar somehow, and it brought something to his attention. _Hawkeye…normally smells like…_ He narrowed his eyes and made a hasty decision, grabbing her in a tight hug, secretly smelling her. He didn't think it could possibly be, but he needed to know for sure, even if he felt really lame doing it.

Her eyes widened and she stared down at him "Edward…?" For some reason, 'she' suddenly felt short of breath.

Al was equally shocked. "Nii-san!" _Don't tell me…do you actually…?_

"I have you…" He quietly announced to her. "…Envy."

"…_Envy…"_ He could recall the blond alchemist whispering his name so breathlessly on the train.

"_Envy_?" She asked incredulously, feeling rather strange about the situation. "Edward, what are you…?" _Shit, he found out! But how…?_ _This feeling…what __**is**__ this? _She pried him off in a panic and pushed him back. "I don't know what you're talking about, but that behavior is highly inappropriate, even for children."

He tried not to think about the fact that he had just had his arms around the homunculus, even if he was in the form of someone else. "The real First Lieutenant…smells like soap-some kind of flower. You don't smell like anything at all, just like last time!"

The armor blinked. "Nii-san…you know what Lieutenant Hawkeye _smells_ like?"

Ed blushed profusely and turned to yell at him. "S-Shut up, Al! That's not the point!" _I know what Mustang smells like, for that matter! When you're around someone long enough, you just…get to know it._ "This…" He pointed at Hawkeye. "…is Envy!"

She sighed. "Cute, Edward. I'm sorry, but I don't have time to play along with your childish and wild accusations." She made to open the door and leave, but the blond grabbed onto her arm.

"Wait! I have questions-"

She ripped her arm from his grasp and whacked him across the face. _Don't…don't touch me!_

He could only stand there, wide-eyed as Al rushed over to him. "Nii-san! Are you okay…?"

The fake Hawkeye frowned darkly and approached them slowly before leaning down. "Do you want to know a secret…?"

Ed blinked, feeling himself blush unconsciously at their close proximity. "I-"

She grabbed the front of his shirt, yanking him forward roughly, her voice no longer her own. "I'm not here to answer your fucking questions."

"_**Shut up**__. What, is only that bastard good enough? Fuck you."_

The blond stared for a moment before struggling against Envy's insanely strong grip. Al threw a punch that was easily avoided.

The evasive maneuver had required him to let go of the short alchemist, which ticked him off even more. "Now, now…" He let the disguise slip away since he had already been revealed. "I didn't come here to fight, believe it or not." _I came here because I was __**bored**__ and Lust isn't around to stop me._ She'd been keeping her distance since the day she got back. It wasn't hard to figure out that she was keeping an eye on him, and he could really care less.

The brothers were taken aback by the statement. "But…" Al found his voice. "Then…what _are_ you here for?"

_I…don't want to know why. Especially if it's…something like…no. No way. _Ed shoved his brother aside. "Forget that, Al! Why did you tell us about this book?"

"Who _cares_?" Envy crossed his arms impatiently. "If it helps you, then who really gives a shit how you got it or why?"

The blond frowned. "_I_ care! If this is just a part of some stupid scheme, you can forget it! We're not going to fall for any of your tricks!"

"Oh? And what if you are _already_, just by looking at it?" _You don't even deserve a warning. I should just watch you fall. But…_

"I…" He had known that doing what the homunculus had suggested was probably not a good idea, but it hadn't mattered. A lead was a lead and should be looked into, he figured.

"That's what I thought." Envy scratched the back of his head, getting more annoyed by the second. _I __**will**__ get revenge. _

Al wondered if they should try to capture him, but decided against it. Aside from their success being unlikely, he wasn't so sure that they should stop Envy from whatever it was he was doing. "Why…are you helping us?"

"Let's just say that, right now, we have a…mutual interest."

"What-"

He put up a hand to silence the armor. "I'm not telling you anything else, so forget it." Envy took a step forward towards Ed and growled. "Move it, chibi. Either you let me go to the window like a good little boy or I'll knock your ass out and go anyway. Which sounds like more fun to you?"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A KID SO SMALL THAT YOU COULD STEP ON HIM AND NOT EVEN NOTICE?!"

Thoroughly done with playing around, as Lust would probably reappear soon and the strange feelings were beginning to bug him, he narrowed his eyes threateningly. With a well placed whack to the head, the poor bean boy was knocked out of the way easily.

"Nii-san!" Al checked out his head, which didn't appear to have any exterior damage. "Are you okay?!"

"See what happens when you don't take me seriously? Someone could get hurt. What a shame…" Seeing the blond lay there so helplessly made him feel a twinge of…regret? _I have to get out of here._ He sighed and debated if he should mention anything else. "I know your head's a little foggy now, Full Metal Shrimp, but try and pay attention." He sneered down at them menacingly. "Something's going to happen soon, so don't be fooled." _They'll probably forget anyway._ "Oh, and that book thing?" He pointed towards the table casually. "Better get cracking. Let's just say that if you give up on that, our mutual interest will…_expire_." He smiled and waved cheerfully in the face of Ed's death glare. "Toodles!" And with that, he flung the window open and climbed right out of it and up to the roof.

"Al…"

"…yeah?"

"…what the hell just happened?"


End file.
